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A large Swedish study has found an unexpected finding about people diagnosed with extreme fear of serious illness. It found they are more likely to die earlier than people who are not as concerned about their health.
一项规模庞大的瑞典研究发现了有关极度害怕患重病的人的一个意外发现。研究发现，与不太担心健康的人相比，他们更有可能早逝。
Hypochondriasis, now called illness anxiety disorder, is a rare condition with symptoms that go beyond average health concerns. People with the disorder are unable to lose their fears despite normal doctor visits and lab tests. Some may change doctors repeatedly. Others may avoid medical care.
现在被称为疾病焦虑症的疑病症是一种罕见的病症，其症状超出了一般的健康关切。患有这种病症的人尽管进行正常的医生就诊和实验室检查，但无法摆脱他们的恐惧。一些人可能会反复更换医生。其他人可能会避免医疗照顾。
Dr. Jonathan E. Alpert of Montefiore Medical Center in New York said, “Many of us are mild hypochondriacs.” But he added there are also people on the extreme side of it who are always worrying and thinking about whether they have a serious illness.
纽约蒙特菲奥里医学中心的Jonathan E. Alpert博士表示：“我们很多人都是轻度疑病症患者。” 但他补充说，也有一些人处于极端状态，总是担心和思考是否患有严重疾病。
People with the disorder are suffering and “it’s important to take it seriously and to treat it,” said Alpert, who was not involved in the new study. Treatment can include behavioral therapy, calming methods, education, and sometimes mental health medication.
患有这种病症的人正在受苦，“认真对待并治疗它非常重要，”未参与这项新研究的Alpert说。治疗可以包括行为疗法、镇静方法、教育，有时还包括心理健康药物。
The researchers have found that people with the condition have an increased risk of death from both natural and unnatural causes, including suicide. Continuing stress and its effects on the body could explain some of the differences, the writers said. The study was published recently in JAMA Psychiatry.
研究人员发现，患有这种病症的人死于自然和非自然原因的风险增加，包括自杀。作者表示，持续的压力及其对身体的影响可能可以解释其中一些差异。这项研究最近发表在《JAMA精神病学》杂志上。
David Mataix-Cols of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden led the research. “We got lucky,” he said, because the Swedish system for organizing disease has a separate entry for hypochondriasis. That permitted research on thousands of people over 24 years, from 1997 to 2020.
瑞典卡罗林斯卡学院的David Mataix-Cols领导了这项研究。“我们很幸运，”他说，因为瑞典的疾病组织系统为疑病症有单独的入口。这使得从1997年到2020年的24年间对成千上万人进行研究成为可能。
Older research had suggested the risk of suicide might be lower for people with the condition. Mataix-Cols said their research found that statement was incorrect. In the study, the risk of suicide death was four times higher for people with the condition.
较早的研究曾暗示患有这种病症的人自杀风险可能较低。Mataix-Cols表示，他们的研究发现这种说法是不正确的。在这项研究中，患有这种病症的人自杀的风险是正常人的四倍。
They looked at 4,100 people with hypochondriasis and matched them with 41,000 people similar in age, sex, and where they lived. They used a measurement called person years, which measures the number of people and how long they were followed.
他们观察了4100名患有疑病症的人，并将他们与41000名年龄、性别和居住地相似的人进行了配对。他们使用了一种称为人年的测量方法，该方法衡量了人数以及他们被追踪的时间。
Overall death rates were higher in the people with hypochondriasis, 8.5 instead of 5.5 per 1,000 person years. People with the condition died younger than the others, with a mean age of 70 instead of 75. The risk of death from diseases related to body systems, such as breathing and eating, was higher. The risk of death from cancer, however, was about the same.
总体死亡率在患有疑病症的人中较高，每千人年8.5人，而不是5.5人。患有这种病症的人比其他人死得更年轻，平均年龄为70岁，而不是75岁。与身体系统相关的疾病的死亡风险更高，例如呼吸和进食。然而，患癌症的死亡风险大致相同。
Alpert leads the American Psychiatric Association’s group on research. He said more care is needed when suggesting a patient to mental health professionals. Patients can become angry because they feel they are being accused of imagining symptoms.
Alpert领导着美国精神病学会的研究小组。他表示，在建议患者向心理健康专业人士寻求帮助时需要更加小心。患者可能会因为感到被指责想象症状而生气。
Alpert added, “… fortunately, there are good treatments.”
Alpert补充道：“...幸运的是，有很好的治疗方法。”
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Words in This Story
symptom – n. a change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is present
therapy – n. the treatment of physical or mental illnesses
stress – n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life or work
match – v. to compare (something) with something else
mean – n. average
fortunately – adv. used to say that something good or lucky has happened
